by Holly Bush
The door to the dining room opened and Bellings stepped inside. “The carriage is here for you whenever you are ready, Miss Crawford. Mr. Crawford? Gentlemen have begun to arrive for your meeting. I have shown them to the library. Coffee is being served.”
Jennifer walked arm in arm with her father to the foyer. Eliza was already in the carriage, and Bellings helped her on with her coat. Jeffrey arrived just then.
“My dear. You are a vision of beauty and refinement. How fortunate I am,” he said as he came forward with a smile, gathering her hands in his. He noticed her coat. “Where are you off to? I saw your maid in the carriage. Is there something I could assist you with?”
Jennifer withdrew her hands and pulled on her gloves. “Not unless you’d like to shop for hats, and then I will be stopping at the Lending Library. I’m also meeting some friends for luncheon at the Parker House Hotel.”
Jeffrey stared at her and spoke quietly as her father greeted other guests. “What friends will you be meeting? Do I know any of them?”
“I don’t think you do know them. I went to Ramsey with them, and we get together from time to time.”
“What are their names? Perhaps I do know them.”
“We’re getting ready to begin the meeting, Jeffrey,” her father said as he kissed Jennifer’s cheek. “Run along Jennifer. It will be quite late as is until you are back from all of your errands.” He put his hand on Jeffrey’s back as he guided him down the hallway. Jeffrey turned to stare at her one last time, and the look he gave her sent shivers down her spine.
* * *
Zeb stepped off the train onto the B&O station platform, thankful to be off the locomotive after three days of near nonstop travel. He moved through the throngs of people to where a porter was unloading trunks and bags. The stationmaster pointed to where men with wagons and buggies were loading luggage and people. He found a free one and handed the man the address of the house that Jolene had let for him. He wondered if there would be a grocer nearby or a restaurant at least. He was tired of eating his meals out of wrapped paper as he’d done on the trip and was looking forward to sitting down at a table with a fork and knife and a real plate. And then he wondered if this house was even furnished. He might be sleeping on the floor!
The driver whoahed the buggy in a neighborhood of connected brick houses, all three stories high, some shutters painted red, some white, and some black. He matched the brass numbers beside the white door under a shingled roof to the ones on Jolene’s letter. Zeb looked up and down the street and thought it looked like a fairly prosperous neighborhood and noticed a well-dressed woman pushing a baby in a cart on the wide, tree-lined sidewalk. The driver began to unload his trunks when the front door of his Seventeenth Street home opened. A formally dressed man came out the door.
“Mr. Moran?” Zeb nodded, and the man continued. “I am Smithers. Senator Shelby’s wife has hired me as a valet and general houseman for you.” Smithers looked at the man pulling Zeb’s trunks off of the back of the buggy he rode in and went down the steps to help carry them and the bags. “Help me carry these to the second floor, now, my man.”
Zeb followed the men inside and watched as Smithers pulled change from his pocket to tip the driver and closed the door. Smithers turned to him.
“Of course, this arrangement is temporary for us. Once you have settled you may have your own staff that you would wish to join you,” Smithers said. “Allow me to take your coat, sir. Would you like to see the house first, or perhaps you would like to go to your rooms?”
Zeb looked around. “Is there an office or a library here with a desk?”
“Yes, sir,” Smithers said, and led him down the hallway. “Here you are, sir.”
Zeb stepped inside and looked around. The room was everything he’d dreamed of having for himself. There was a large library in his father’s house that was always his father’s domain. He’d never felt comfortable there even when studying during his years at university. He’d had a large bedroom and sitting room of his own at the Hacienda when he’d lived there and worked for Max, and he had cleaned those rooms himself rather than allowing one of the staff to do it. This room wasn’t huge but had a large fireplace, floor-to-ceiling books on shelves, and a large desk beside a stately, paned window. He walked to the desk, touched the felt pad, and sat down on the chair behind it.
“Smithers?” he said. “Tell me more about this arrangement.”
“I was hired by Mrs. Shelby, as I said earlier, to be valet and manage the house for you. Mrs. Shelby has advised that I hire a cook and a maid and perhaps an all-about boy. I have hired all three and they are ready to meet you if you wish.”
Zeb shook his head. “I don’t want to put anyone out of a job, but I just don’t see myself needing anyone other than someone to clean once in a while and maybe take the laundry.”
“Certainly, sir. I’ll inform the staff. I was quite clear when I hired them that this might not be permanent.”
“What is this?” Zeb asked as he picked up an envelope addressed to Chief of Staff with a lone sheet of paper inside.
“I believe that is your calendar for the next few weeks, sir. A gentleman from Senator Shelby’s office brought it,” Smithers said. “If it is acceptable to you, I want to inform the rest of the staff that they will be leaving tomorrow. Excuse me, sir.”
Zeb scanned the document and held a hand up. “Wait. Smithers. Wait.” In the first week alone, he would be attending functions on three evenings and was expected to entertain small parties on two other evenings. The guest list for the second party included the assistant secretary of state. His first scheduled appointment was for six thirty the next morning, followed by a full complement of tours, meetings, and appointments. “From the looks of this, you’ll be staying, Smithers, and so will anyone else you’ve hired. Have you read this?”
“Certainly not, sir.”
Zeb stared at the man. “But why do I get the feeling you knew you weren’t going anywhere?”
“Mrs. Shelby did say that you would not be open to this idea until you saw your calendar.”
“Did she now? It appears that I’ll barely have time to sleep and shave let alone cook or keep up with household work. I’m unaccustomed to this sort of thing, Smithers. I grew up in a prosperous home in Georgia with cooks and some weekly cleaning help, but nothing like this. You will have to give me some time to become adjusted.”
“Certainly, sir. Please make your wishes known so that we may be able to serve you in the best fashion, as we will want to make sure that your household is suitable for such an important man as yourself.”
“Important?” Zeb said and harrumphed. “Hardly. I’m just here to help Senator Shelby.”
“Of course, sir. Allow me to show you the rest of the house.”
The furnishings, as much as he could judge, were discreetly expensive, and impressive, mostly done in some combination of dark blue and tan. “Did this house come with all the furniture and the pictures and carpets?”
Smithers shook his head. “No, sir, not completely. Some rooms were bare on the lower floor, but the sleeping rooms and the staff quarters furnishings were all included in the sale of the house according to Mrs. Shelby.”
“And where did the furnishings on the lower floor come from, Smithers?”
“The senator’s wife chose the furnishings. She told me to tell you the bills would be arriving here for payment, sir.”
“Damnation!” Zeb said. “How much of my money has she spent? I suppose she anticipated this reaction as well.”
“She did, sir, and I would be more comfortable if Mrs. Shelby relayed the amount to you in person.”
Zeb was seated at the dining room table at one of the sixteen chairs and served his dinner while Smithers unpacked his trunk and other bags in his rooms, even after he insisted that he preferred to eat in his library at his desk or in the kitchen in the small alcove where the staff ate their meals. Zeb fell asleep in his new bed as he read and reread the U.S. Co
nstitution and the accompanying Articles.
Chapter Four
“Aunt Jennifer!” Melinda shouted, and ran full tilt at her across the black and white tiled floor of Jolene’s Washington home. “I have been waiting forever!”
Jennifer hugged Melinda and kissed her hair. “It does seem like forever, doesn’t it?”
“Let your aunt breathe, Melinda,” Jolene said as she made her way across the foyer. “How was your trip?”
“Uneventful,” Jennifer said, and looked Jolene up and down. “What is different?”
Jolene linked her arm through Jennifer’s. “Let me show you to your rooms and allow Mrs. Trundle to help your maid get you both settled. Finish your studies, Melinda, and then you may have unfettered access to your aunt.”
Jennifer followed the young men carrying her trunks and bags into a spacious, high-ceilinged room with long windows and a massive bed.
“How lovely, Jolene! You must have been very busy, as your last letter said you were considering moving to a hotel until the work was done here.”
“It has been an incredible rush but well worth it, I think,” Jolene said as she straightened drapes and ran her hand along a tall dresser. She turned to her housekeeper. “Please have a tea tray sent up and perhaps some cakes, as well.”
“That sounds lovely,” Jennifer said as she unpinned her hat.
“You are probably tired,” Jolene said. “Take a rest and we’ll talk when you are ready.”
“No, no,” Jennifer said, and pointed to two flowered chairs in front of a marble fireplace. “Sit down with me here. Tell me what is happening. I’m very excited for you and Max, and you are looking more beautiful than usual, Jolene. Your dress is lovely.”
“We’ll go to the dressmakers while you are here, if you’d like. I’ve found a dress shop that is extraordinary, and I’ll be there quite a bit as I will be needing all new things.”
“All new, Jolene? I was at the Hacienda when Alice packed you. If I remember correctly there were eleven trunks.”
“But I won’t fit in those dresses very shortly, Jennifer,” she said and smiled. “Maximillian and I are expecting a son or daughter this fall.”
“I am so happy for you both!” Jennifer cried, and stood to kiss her sisters’ cheek. “What wonderful news!”
“It is wonderful news. I never thought I’d feel so much joy. I never thought I could feel true happiness ever again. But I can and I do.”
Jennifer blinked back tears. “Of course you can. What did Max say?”
“He is nearly beside himself and is so busy with the Senate, but he sends me messages by courier at all hours and has told the staff that I am to do nothing strenuous, as if I were scrubbing floors, and Melinda tattles on me to her father. The minx!”
Jennifer was in awe of her sister’s transformation. This unguarded Jolene was nothing as she remembered, not as her sister was while growing up at Willow Tree, and definitely not during her first marriage. When her son, William, died, Jolene descended further into her own misery, Jennifer had always thought, never smiling, speaking rarely, and when she did it was often a biting, and, on occasion, even cruel remark. Jennifer had not been looking forward to visiting Jolene and her new husband in Texas, but she desperately needed time away from her mother and put aside her fears and worries about traveling that distance to a sister who was not particularly a happy person and went anyway. She arrived in the midst of the influenza outbreak at the ranch, but even then, during their worry for Melinda and all the others at the ranch, she could see that Jolene had changed.
“You look like and act like a different person. I am very, very happy for you.”
Jolene stared at her sister. “But you do not look happy. In fact, you look quite miserable, Jennifer. What is it? Is it Mother? I have told you and will continue to tell you that you are welcome to make your life here with us. Maximillian has told me to impress upon you that he would be happy to have you live with us indefinitely.”
“But it isn’t always that easy. I don’t know what Father has said to you, but Mother is ill. She will not tell me or Father the details but the doctor has examined her.”
“And you believe it is serious?”
“I do. And I will not abandon Father to her tantrums.”
Jennifer sat silently staring into the fire and calming her racing heart. She was near tears and not quite sure why.
“I have never thought about how this has affected you, Jennifer. I’m sure Julia did not either. But you must feel as though we’ve left you there,” Jolene said softly, breaking the silence.
“Everyone is free to live their own life. You have moved on and are happy, and I am glad for you.”
“Except you, Jennifer. Are you free to live your own life?”
Jennifer swallowed, feeling angry and tense but hardly willing to upset this new balance between her and Jolene. She jumped up from her chair and hurried to the window. “What a lovely view, Jolene. This house compares to Landonmore in many ways. You must be very pleased.”
Jolene came to stand beside her and pushed the curtain back to look out herself. “I am very pleased and very fortunate. Now, I’m sure you’re exhausted. I’ll send your maid to you.”
* * *
“She’s finally here, Melinda!” Max said, and wrapped Jennifer in a bear hug and then kissed both of her cheeks. “I am so glad you’re here. Jolene and Melinda have done nothing but complain that you were not with us when we arrived.”
Jennifer smiled and held Max’s hands in hers. “I’ve heard that you are to be a papa again and I am thrilled for you!”
Max nodded, and Jennifer was certain she saw his eyes glisten with tears.
“I am terrified something will go wrong and worry about her and the baby constantly, but the doctor says that she is healthy and fit and he foresees no problems.”
“You must think good thoughts, Max. Jolene had no issues when she delivered William, and my sister Julia has birthed three healthy children.”
“You are right,” he said and wrapped her arm around his to lead her to the dining room. “But I can’t help worrying about her and Melinda and this new child.”
“Of course you can’t,” Jennifer said as she was seated. “You are as smitten with my sister as I remember, and your daughter has you wrapped around her finger.”
Max laughed.
“I heard from your sister today, Maximillian. She and Calvin will be here for the ceremonies,” Jolene said.
“Excellent. I haven’t seen Eugenia in ages and I want to personally thank her for introducing Jolene and I,” Max said. “Do you remember when your Aunt Eugenia and Uncle Calvin visited with us at the Hacienda, Melinda?”
“A little,” Melinda said. “Especially that hat that Aunt Eugenia wore with the pink flowers and the printed ribbons.”
“Your Aunt Eugenia is a bit eccentric in her clothing choices, but your father is right. She introduced us and we will always be eternally grateful,” Jolene said as she looked steadily at her husband. “I shall have to tell the foreman that I need the green bedroom suite ready in time for them.”
“Are my parents coming?” Max asked.
“No. Eugenia said they are disappointed but your father is not feeling well and your mother is concerned about him making the trip.”
“With this schedule they’ve got me on already, I doubt I’ll have time to travel anywhere until the session closes, and Mother and Father are getting up in years,” Max said as he filled his plate from the platters the servants were presenting.
“Then I shall go meet and visit with your parents this spring and take Melinda with me. It is long past—” Jolene began.
Max shook his head. “No. Absolutely not. You will not be traveling.”
Jolene laid down her silverware and arched her brows. “Perhaps we should discuss this at another time when you are not so . . . passionate about the subject.”
Melinda giggled, and Jolene looked at her until she was silent and took a fork f
ull of food to her mouth.
“Father has written that you have reopened the parlor lobby at the bank,” Jolene said to Jennifer.
“I have and have found your notes to be particularly useful when we are entertaining a long-term client.”
“The parlor lobby?” Max asked.
Jolene nodded. “When I was married to Turner, I entertained clients before they met with my father or other bank employees in a comfortable room with a private entrance. It started out when I overheard Father telling his secretary that the week ahead was going to be very busy and he was concerned that he and his staff were not going to be able to take care of all the customers coming to see him in a timely manner.”
“Mother was in a foul temper about it if I remember correctly,” Jennifer said.
“Mother was often in a foul temper,” Jolene replied. “Anyway, I went to work with my father that week, with a maid of course, and served coffee and tea and cakes from a pastry shop around the corner from the bank to clients who were going to be delayed because my father was running late with a previous appointment. I made polite conversation and kept notes so I would know what to ask or comment on the next time the client visited.”
“Father said half the reason the bank was doing so well was because Jolene was greeting customers,” Jennifer said.
“Men are notoriously silly when it comes to appearances. As if I had the foggiest notion of the business of banking. However, after playing hostess there for some years, I was much acquainted with how and why things worked the way they did behind the scenes.”
“Of course you did,” Max said, and waved his fork. “I have said all along that you are very business savvy and bright. Obviously your father recognized that.”
“I would like to work somewhere when I grow up,” Melinda said.